MORE ON THE ANA'S FEDERAL CHARTER

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V29 2026 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 29, Number 41, 2026, Article 12

Jeff Reichenberger submitted this interesting how-the-sausage-gets-made view into how the American Numismatic Association obtained its Federal Charter. Thanks! -Editor

In 2007 I published a monograph concerning the ANA's Federal Charter and its congressional sponsor, William Ashbrook. (Charter Legacy, Numismatic Chronicle from the Diaries of William A. Ashbrook, 1905-1920). Ashbrook was an avid coin enthusiast and board member of the ANA at the time. He kept a daily diary from which I extracted all the numismatic entries as the subject of the monograph.

Fast forward to the present; I received correspondence from a gentleman who is a collector of political memorabilia from a county in Ohio that Ashbrook represented. He caught wind of the monograph and was interested in obtaining a copy, which I happily sent him.

On his next email he expressed thanks and, to my delight, attached a scan of a document he has in his Ashbrook collection. Having read the monograph, he was able to surmise that this letter was indeed about the ANA Charter. The letter from Ashbrook to Henry Chapman (who also served on the ANA board at the time) is dated January 30, 1912, apparently just shortly after the Charter Bill passed Congress.

Looking through archival copies of The Numismatist, the language concerning the Charter and Ashbrook's work to secure it drew great praise and suggested that it was a tough fight to get passed, but with this letter to Chapman, we get a first-hand account:

January 30, 1912.
Henry Chapman, Esq.,
1348 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Dear Mr. Chapman:-

Well, I have just secured the passage of our Charter Bill, by the House, and had the fight of my life. I was in charge of the bill and was under running fire for two and one-half hours. Had two roll calls and much opposition. I will send you a copy of the Record in the morning, by which you will be able to see that I did not have easy sailing, and it was carried by only a small majority. However, it passed the House and I think I can now get it through the Senate without much trouble. I would not shoulder such a job again for much less than an 1804 Silver Dollar. J. Hampton Moore helped me out well. I wish you would write him and thank him.

With kind regards, I am, Very respectfully,

William Ashbrook

Tuesday, January 30, 1912

Had a very trying experience today. Ben Johnson, the chairman of the District committee, telephoned me that my charter bill to incorporate the American Numismatic Association had been reached and yielded the floor to me. For about three hours I had a running fire of questions with two roll calls. Sisson of Mississippi, and Shackelford of Missouri tried hard to defeat my bill, but it finally passed by a bare six votes. If it had not been that my card friends stood by me, I would have been licked. The Southern members are so afraid the states will lose some of their rights to the Federal Government. Very few charter bills have ever passed Congress, and I have occasion to feel good.

Clearly, the task was difficult, but perseverance paid off. Unfortunately, Ashbrook was never able to add that well-deserved 1804 Dollar to his collection.

*Joseph Hampton Moore was a member of the House from Pennsylvania (1906-1920) and later became the Mayor of Philadelphia.